!i! Welcome Back Howie !i!

A.J. and I recently returned from our anniversary trip to Oahu, Hawaii. We absolutely love Hawaii and were happy that we had the chance to go back. So...better brace yourselves! You are in for a long read! But hopefully the pictures will keep your interest!!

Our plane left SLC at 6 a.m. and arrived in Hawaii at 11 a.m. (keeping in mind the 4 hour time difference). If there is one thing that A.J. doesn't like it's flying! Normally he is so laid back, but put him on an airplane and he does not enjoy himself!

We arrived in Oahu and it was raining. It rained every single day that we were there! The difference between the tourists and the locals is that the tourists run for cover when a downpour starts and the locals walk about like there's no rain at all. I think it's because we are used to a bitter cold rain while the rain in Hawaii is warm and refreshing.



We checked into our hotel and immediately drove to one of our favorite beaches! We call it Turtle Beach because it is where the turtles play in the surf and climb up on the beach to bask in the warm Hawaiian sun.

If you look out into the waves, you can see little turtle heads poking up out of the water or little turtle fins splashing around.

We visited the turtle beach every single day. However, the turtles don't come up on land on Saturdays or Sundays because there are too many people there, but you could see them playing in the surf. We even saw small turtles playing in the waves.





After we visited the turtles, we went to another one of our favorite beaches: Sunset Beach. Last year, we spend most evenings here watching the sunset and letting the waves wash over our feet. The waves at Sunset Beach this year are starting to get pretty big and soon they will hold surf competitions here.



The next morning, we went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay which is a nature preserve. There are beautiful corals and brightly colored fish. Some fish we saw were as big as dinner platters! A.J. even saw an eel poking his head out of his hole. The day we were there, a jelly-fish warning was in place for the bay. There were 20 reported stings the previous day. We took our chances and luckily we didn't cross any jellies!

We visited the Na Pali lookout which is a big cliff in the middle of the forest. King Kamehameha is the Hawaiian king who united all of the Hawaiian islands. It was here that there was a battle and King Kamehameha allegedly pushed all his enemies off this cliff. Trust me...it's a steep drop!



We then drove on the Na Pali drive which is a gorgeous road stretching through miles of forest. It was here that we discovered the Banyan tree! We were fascinated by these trees the entire time we were in Hawaii. They have vines that hang from their branches and when they reach the ground, they eventually take root and become part of the tree trunk!

We also visited a Botanical Garden.


Then we went on a hike on the coast to a lighthouse. In the distance you can see Molakai.

We made it to the lighthouse.


In the winter months, whales inhabit these waters. We thought we saw a whale...then realized it was just a rock. Wishful thinking....

After our hike, we visited a tide pool where we saw all sorts of fish and black crabs. We were soaking wet because it had rained on us during the hike back to our car.

The next morning, we went to the beach on the North West side of the island. There are a lot of homeless people that live in tents on the beach which made us a little uneasy. As we were driving the coast, A.J. and I saw a spinner dolphin doing tricks in the water.

We visited the Dole Plantation and got their famous pineapple ice cream. If you ever go to Hawaii, you have to try this ice cream!
We then went snorkeling at Shark's Cove which is one of my favorite places to snorkel. The water is very shallow and warm so the brightly colored fish like it there. We saw a variety of fish.

After snorkeling, we visited a few more beaches. We found a beach that to this day we are unsure of it's name. It was also one of our favorite beaches. The sand was so soft and the water was so shallow and warm. We walked along the entire beach. It was so relaxing.

The next morning, we visited the King Kamehameha statue at the government building.

Then we went across the street to the Iolani palace and walked the royal grounds.

We visited another of our favorite beaches: Kaaawa Beach Park. This was one of my favorite beaches from our trip last year. The picture looks like it's right off a post card!
We also visited the Laie temple. We were disappointed because the temple is still under construction so we couldn't go inside. It was under construction last time we were there as well. We did go into the visitor's center where we were greeted by a missionary who invited us to watch conference. A.J.'s answer stunned me "No thanks. We're going to the beach. I'll watch it online when I get home." I thought we would be struck right then and there! Or at least be cursed when we went to the beach!

We visited Waimea Valley which is an old archeological site as well as a botanical garden. It is a gorgeous walk littered with native plants that leads to a waterfall.

For the rest of the day, we went snorkeling again at Shark's Cove and then we visited every beach we could find down the coast. Eventually, we made our way back to Waikiki (Ala Moana beach park). The locals avoid this part of the island if they can help it. We spoke with a local who said he doesn't like Waikiki beach because the water smells like coconut suntan lotion. He was right! It didn't seem very clean and it was so busy with people!

But we did get to see a gorgeous sunset at Ala Moana Beach park.

Sunday was our final day in Hawaii. We started the day off early visiting the statue of Duke on Waikiki beach. Duke was a great surfer. Surfing used to be a sport for only the royalty, but he brought surfing as we know it to the world. People visit this statue and bring leis.

We then walked over to the Waikiki aquarium which showcases fish only found in Hawaii. They even had a monk seal. It was fun to go through the aquarium and point out which fish we saw while snorkeling.

Then, to make the most of our last day in Hawaii, we visited every single beach we could find.




We finished our vacation back on Sunset Beach with our feet in the sand watching the gorgeous Hawaiian sunset.
I am so grateful to be married to my best friend and that we can go on our adventures together! I am looking forward to the many adventures that lie ahead of us!!